GreenTech / GT Hub at Allgäu Airport near Memmingen: How SMEs, medium-sized businesses and start-ups in the Allgäu are shaping the green future

🌿✈️ An innovative center for green technologies is currently being built at Allgäu Airport, which combines the strengths of medium-sized businesses with the innovative strength of start-ups. The aim is to develop the Allgäu into a leading region in Europe for sustainable technologies and to attract the most talented minds in the industry. In the next few years, the network is expected to grow to up to 30 start-ups that focus on digitalization and sustainability. What is special about this project is the close connection between green innovations and medium-sized companies from the region.

The new GreenTech Hub (GT Hub) was founded according to the motto “From the middle class for the middle class”. The four founding shareholders—the Alois Müller Group (Ungerhausen), Südpack (Ochsenhausen) and Reisacher and Kutter (both Memmingen)—are all family-run companies with deep roots in the Allgäu. This unique constellation is intended to create a dynamic ecosystem for start-ups, medium-sized companies, investors and research institutions that specialize in green technologies.

🌱 A dynamic network for sustainable innovation

"We want to think across industries and bring together the best talents, scientists and companies from the areas of digitization and sustainability," explains Corinna Tappe, who together with Dr. Stefan Lenz forms the management of Greentech Hub GmbH. Tappe is known as a mentor and managing director of the Bavarian location of the “Startup Teens” network and has extensive experience in the start-up scene.

The modern building south of Allgäu Airport is scheduled to be completed by mid-2025. Office and workshop space will be created on over 2,000 square meters, offering ideal conditions for young companies. At the topping-out ceremony, the GT Hub took the opportunity to present its project to the public at a preview event.

🚀 Ideal location conditions for start-ups

The location on the Allgäu Airport offers optimal conditions for the development of a leading Greentech hub. "With the motorway junction and the airport, we have a perfect transport infrastructure here," emphasizes Dr. Stefan Lenz. In addition, engineers can soon fall back on new future technologies such as an electrolyser for hydrogen production. Existing systems such as the biogas plant as well as planned projects such as a hydrogen filling station, an innovative district heating network and large photovoltaic fields create ideal conditions for the development and expansion of green technologies.

⚡ Unique focus on green technologies

The GT Hub is the first technology network in the region that specifically linked green technologies with the middle class. "There are already some successful hubs in Germany, but our combination and conscious specialization are really unique," says Lenz. The thematic focus includes renewable and efficient energies, the development of new materials, innovative business models in the field of sustainability as well as topics of the circular economy, digital solutions and artificial intelligence.

These areas are of central importance for medium -sized companies in order to secure their future and to develop successfully. Andreas Müller, managing director of the Alois Müller Group, emphasizes: “For us medium -sized companies from the Allgäu, it is best if we bring the clever minds of the scene and their innovative ideas to us to promote important topics and processes together.”

🤝 Enormous potential through collaboration

The openness and trust of medium -sized shareholders create enormous development potential. “We have an active medium -sized network and numerous 'hidden champions'. The high density of producing medium-sized companies with decades of experience is an absolute plus for every start-up, ”says Corinna Tappe. Family businesses from the region are reliable business partners and are characterized by quick decision -making paths - an important factor for young companies.

🌟 Medium-sized businesses as founders of start-ups

Tappe and Lenz also want to encourage the Allgäu companies to found start-ups themselves. "Anyone who has ever experienced the dynamics and energy that can release a spin -off is open to such a transformation," explains Dr. Stefan Lenz. With their experience, they want to accompany and advise companies to successfully design these processes.

🎓 Support for founders

Livelihoods can look forward to extensive support. The GT Hub is developing an accelerator program that runs over six months. "We support young companies with boot camps on important topics such as investor search, financing and market analysis and offer active 1: 1 coaching," explains Corinna Tappe. The network is also used to find suitable partners for the respective business ideas.

💡 Innovations for medium-sized businesses

The GT Hub shareholders underline how much medium-sized companies can benefit from working with start-ups. Peter Reisacher, Managing Director of Autohaus Reisacher GmbH, explains: “With electromobility, there are many topics for us, for which innovative solutions are needed. We promise from the GT Hub that we can bring in our ideas and develop sustainable solutions together with start-ups. ”

Südpack also sees enormous potential: “The future of plastics is green. They have to come from renewable raw materials and be returned to a functioning circulatory system. We want to actively help shape this transformation. In the GT Hub we can give innovative minds a home, ”emphasize Johannes Remmele and Carolin Grimbacher, owner of Südpack Packenzungen GmbH & Co. KG.

🛠️ Presentation of innovative start-ups

At the preview event, four innovative start-ups demonstrated their potential. Reverion from Eching presented solutions for highly efficient, CO₂-negative energy generation and long-term storage based on biogas and hydrogen. Oculai showed how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing camera-based data collection for construction sites. B2Square from Meerbusch demonstrated how CO₂ emissions can be drastically reduced in road construction through the use of biobitumen. AssetEnergy from Memmingen presented a digital measurement and billing service that enables tenants to bill heating and additional costs transparently.

📈 Small and medium-sized businesses must accelerate when it comes to digitalization and innovation

Christoph Keese, bestselling author and former editor -in -chief of the “Welt” and “Welt am Sonntag”, emphasized the need in his keynote speech that the medium -sized company must become active in digital transformation and technological innovations. "We are very innovative in Germany, but we implement too slowly and invest too little in innovative ideas and young companies," says Keese. He advocated not dealing with new technologies so restrictively and creating a good economic climate for start-ups.

🛫 Allgäu Airport as a special economic zone

A vision that Keese shared is the establishment of the Allgäu Airport as a special economic zone. "If you could make Memmingen Airport a special economic zone, that would be a real advantage for start-ups and investors," he said. This would create additional incentives and further increase the attractiveness of the location.

💪 Strengthen medium-sized businesses with the innovative power of start-ups

The GreenTech Hub at Allgäu Airport combines the strengths of medium-sized businesses with the innovative strength of start-ups, thereby sending a strong signal for the region's green future. With optimal location conditions, a unique network and a clear focus on sustainable technologies, the GT Hub offers ideal conditions for companies that want to actively shape the future. The collaboration between experienced medium-sized companies and innovative start-ups promises to make the Allgäu a leading region for green technologies in Europe.

📣 Similar topics

• 🌿 GreenTech Hub: Sustainable future in the Allgäu
• 🚀 Innovations from the Allgäu for Europe
• 🔄 Medium-sized businesses & start-ups: A green symbiosis
• 🏗️ Ideal conditions for technological advances
• 🌱 The heart of green technologies
• 🤝 Cooperation for sustainable success
• 💡 Sustainability and digitalization in focus
• 🔎 Support and funding for founders
• 🌍 Allgäu Airport: hub for sustainable innovation
• 📈 Medium-sized businesses as a catalyst for innovation

#️⃣ Hashtags: #GreenTech #SMEs #Sustainability #Innovation #Startups

The transformation of startups into an economic factor and pillar of the German infrastructure - today people start up differently - Image: Xpert.Digital

Today, people start up and invest differently than they did just a few years ago. While the credo used to be “growth at all costs,” profitability is now moving to the fore. Founders develop strategies at an early stage that, in addition to ambitious growth goals, also show a clear path to profitability. This rethink is a response to changing market conditions and the increased demands of investors.

More about it here:

• The transformation of the startup landscape: changing challenges and opportunities

Innovative transformation strategies: The path from SME to start-up and back – Image: Xpert.Digital

In the rapidly changing business world, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face the challenge of keeping up with the dynamism and innovative power of startups. This balancing act between tradition and innovation requires creative solutions that enable SMEs to benefit from the advantages of both worlds. A particularly promising approach is to temporarily outsource parts of the company's development and cultivate them in a startup-like environment in order to later integrate them back into the parent company. This strategy offers SMEs the opportunity to increase their ability to innovate without having to completely abandon their tried and tested structures.

More about it here:

• Stay flexible: SMEs balancing act between tradition and innovation

The important role of start-ups in the economy - drivers of innovation, job engine and indicator of economic growth - Image: Xpert.Digital

The development of start-ups in Germany will show both positive trends and ongoing challenges in 2024. In a dynamic economic environment, the German start-up ecosystem is an innovative but at the same time complex space in which founders and young companies have to assert themselves. It is important to understand current developments and industry trends, as well as the hurdles that founders face, in order to capture the full potential of this scene.

More about it here:

• The dynamics of German start-ups in 2024: trends, challenges and opportunities

☑️ Industry expert, here with his own Xpert.Digital industry hub with over 2,500 specialist articles

Konrad Wolfenstein

I would be happy to serve as your personal advisor.

You can contact me by filling out the contact form below or simply call me on +49 89 89 674 804 (Munich) .

I'm looking forward to our joint project.

Xpert.Digital is a hub for industry with a focus on digitalization, mechanical engineering, logistics/intralogistics and photovoltaics.

With our 360° business development solution, we support well-known companies from new business to after sales.

Market intelligence, smarketing, marketing automation, content development, PR, mail campaigns, personalized social media and lead nurturing are part of our digital tools.

You can find out more at: www.xpert.digital - www.xpert.solar - www.xpert.plus